10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many

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waynefromnscanada
waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
in General Solar Power Topics #1
Yes, it's been 10 days since Hurricane Arthur, downgraded to a tropical storm, swept through the Canadian Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick, Hundreds of thousands of homes lost power. Most have now been restored, but 10 days later, over 2500 homes in New Brunswick are still without power. NB Power says it was the worst power outage they've ever had to deal with. Right across the Maritimes, many of those lucky enough to have generators couldn't get fuel to run them as the gas stations were also without power. There have been huge losses of food as fridges and freezers no longer worked. Thousands went without running water, and yes, even phone service and the internet went down as company batteries went dead. (To save money they no longer have generator backup at their sites) We all realize how terrible the results would have been, had this outage occurred in the dead of Winter. Many deaths would have resulted as people, dependent on the grid to keep their homes warm, could have froze to death.
Am I glad I run my house on solar even though I keep grid as a backup for the time when I can no longer look after my off grid system? In a word YES! It's an awesome hobby that, unlike the booze and tobacco on which so many blow their money, gives me great daily satisfaction and a sense of security that few others have.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #2
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many

    But are you Earthquake prepared? :p

    It never ceases to amaze me how government will not invest a dime in preparedness for disasters such as this which occur regularly and predictably but are willing to dump huge amounts of tax payer dollars to make sure we're all safe from the effects of something that is not likely to happen.

    In the Lower Mainland of British Columbia flooding is known to occur practically every year. Nothing is done about it. But because there are Earthquakes in Japan with devastating results we are investing in making sure all the schools won't fall down in the event of a quake which there is no history to indicate will ever happen.

    To refocus, where you are the power goes out. Often. We hear the news even here. Yet do people say "I'd better get a back-up power system of some sort"? You did because you are smart. Others stand around in the cold, dark, wet and wonder why someone else doesn't come to their aid.

    Frankly NS's power grid sucks. But you knew that already. :D I do not miss living back East for the storms that came every year, regular as clockwork.
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  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    #3
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many
    Cariboocoot wrote: »
    To refocus, where you are the power goes out. Often. We hear the news even here. Yet do people say "I'd better get a back-up power system of some sort"? You did because you are smart. Others stand around in the cold, dark, wet and wonder why someone else doesn't come to their aid.

    Yep. That's one reason I push the SMA TL-US series of inverters nowadays for people installing grid tie; having 1500 watts available during a massive power outage, even part-time, can be a huge help to people.
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  • opticalmike
    opticalmike Registered Users Posts: 20 ✭✭
    #4
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many

    Why wouldn't these backup generators be Natural gas ?? We installed a 15 kw whole house natural gas generator and laugh when the power goes down...the gas continues.
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  • Cariboocoot
    Cariboocoot Banned Posts: 17,615 ✭✭✭
    #5
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many
    opticalmike wrote: »
    Why wouldn't these backup generators be Natural gas ?? We installed a 15 kw whole house natural gas generator and laugh when the power goes down...the gas continues.

    This may come as a surprise to you but not everywhere has natural gas service.
    What's more in some areas it may also 'go down' when disaster strikes.
    Like California's notorious Earthquake zone.

    You need the emergency preparedness that suits the emergency most likely to happen.
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  • ILFE
    ILFE Solar Expert Posts: 364 ✭✭
    #6
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many

    Is it common for hurricanes to make it that far north and do a lot of damage before blowing themselves out?

    I remember some of them from when I was a boy, growing up on the Southeast coast of Georgia.
    Paul
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  • ILFE
    ILFE Solar Expert Posts: 364 ✭✭
    #7
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many
    waynefromnscanada wrote: »
    It's an awesome hobby that, unlike the booze and tobacco on which so many blow their money, gives me great daily satisfaction and a sense of security that few others have.

    I agree completely. I enjoy coming up with new ideas, learning things from forums like this, and putting those ideas to use locally.

    Having a somewhat unstable grid does add a bit of encouragement, though. :D
    Paul
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  • waynefromnscanada
    waynefromnscanada Solar Expert Posts: 3,009 ✭✭✭✭
    #8
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many
    ILFE wrote: »
    Is it common for hurricanes to make it that far north and do a lot of damage before blowing themselves out?

    I remember some of them from when I was a boy, growing up on the Southeast coast of Georgia.

    Thankfully they often but not always wear down to cat 1 hurricane or tropical storm by the time they get here, but most definitely not always. From time to time we get hit and hit hard.
    As for Natural Gas, there is a fair sized off shore NG multi well and production system. We were told our streets would be paved with gold and that propane would be almost too cheap to bother charging for. All lies. Our offshore NG, although coming to land near here, is piped out of this area and to the USA as fast as the pipelines can take it. We get none of it. The royalties however are keeping our property taxes low. For now. Until the gas runs out.
    Most people don't prepare for emergencies, instead leaving the responsibility to others. Hey, the roof doesn't leak when the sun is shining.
    Eat, drink and be "Mary" :D for tomorrow the grid may go down. :roll:
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  • mike95490
    mike95490 Solar Expert Posts: 9,583 ✭✭✭✭✭
    #9
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many
    opticalmike wrote: »
    ... installed a 15 kw whole house natural gas generator and laugh when the power goes down...the gas continues.

    And the gas gets it pressure in the lines how ?? When I lived in Los Angeles, there were several natural gas pumping stations around, and I suspect that they have internal backup generators to keep the lines pressurized, but at some point, that's going to fail. Even a moderate earthquake is going to sever some lines and some will be shut down for leak testing.
    Powerfab top of pole PV mount | Listeroid 6/1 w/st5 gen head | XW6048 inverter/chgr | Iota 48V/15A charger | Morningstar 60A MPPT | 48V, 800A NiFe Battery (in series)| 15, Evergreen 205w "12V" PV array on pole | Midnight ePanel | Grundfos 10 SO5-9 with 3 wire Franklin Electric motor (1/2hp 240V 1ph ) on a timer for 3 hr noontime run - Runs off PV ||
    || Midnight Classic 200 | 10, Evergreen 200w in a 160VOC array ||
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  • solar_dave
    solar_dave Solar Expert Posts: 2,397 ✭✭✭✭
    #10
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many

    Well if your an earthquake victim the Nat Gas will probably burn the place down anyway.
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  • bill von novak
    bill von novak Solar Expert Posts: 891 ✭✭✭✭
    #11
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many
    solar_dave wrote: »
    Well if your an earthquake victim the Nat Gas will probably burn the place down anyway.

    Natural gas is remarkably safe when you look at its history over the past 20 years or so. In an earthquake the most likely thing to happen is nothing; either no pipes break, or the pipes break and the flow limiter shuts your house down, or the pipes break upstream of you and nothing affects you, or the pumps shut down and nothing affects you.

    (Important note, though - in 3 out of 4 of those cases, you lose your natural gas generator.)
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  • inetdog
    inetdog Solar Expert Posts: 3,123 ✭✭✭✭
    #12
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    Re: 10 days after Hurricane Arthur and still no grid for many
    bill von novak wrote: »
    Natural gas is remarkably safe when you look at its history over the past 20 years or so. In an earthquake the most likely thing to happen is nothing; either no pipes break, or the pipes break and the flow limiter shuts your house down, or the pipes break upstream of you and nothing affects you, or the pumps shut down and nothing affects you.

    (Important note, though - in 3 out of 4 of those cases, you lose your natural gas generator.)
    Unfortunately, as seen in Sandy, there were occasions where there was no flow limiter at a house (not required by any code that I am aware of) and mechanical damage to the interior gas piping or gas appliances released explosive gas volumes which then ignited. Promptly burning down nearby houses which did not have gas problems that we know of. :(
    SMA SB 3000, old BP panels.
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